Soft-grip wire stripper

ABSTRACT

A wire stripper has a pair of elongated frames pivotably joined together by a pivot pin and defining handles and jaws. The handles are covered by sleeves which include thumb wells which cover the ends of the pivot pin. A mechanical interlock is provided between the handles and the sleeves. The sleeves have slots for receiving the handles. The slots are offset so the front and rear surfaces of opposite sleeves are coplanar. The sleeves have a core and cushion grip overmolded on the core. A molding projection on the core allows precise placement of the core in a mold during formation of the cushion grip. A spring biases the frames to an open position. A locking member can be set by a sliding motion toward the handle end to hold the handles in a closed position. A curved shoulder on the edge of a handle wipes across a screw hole opening in the opposite jaw to provide a screw cutting function with a slicing action.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electricians have long used hand-held wire strippers for basicoperations such as wire stripping and cutting. These tools areconstructed similarly to a pair of pliers in that they have a pair ofelongated members pivotably joined at a pivot pin. The pivot pin defineshandles below the pin and jaws above the pin. The jaws typicallyincorporate wire cutting blades and aligned pairs of semi-circulargrooves sized for stripping insulation from wires. The handles fit inthe palm of a user's hand. U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,050 shows one type ofhand-held wire stripper having ergonomic handles.

Studies of how electricians actually use wire strippers have revealedthat the basic wire stripping function is performed by holding thehandles of the tool in the palm of the hand with four fingers wrappedaround one of the handles. The thumb typically rests on or close to thepivot pin as this is the only portion of the tool that doesn't exhibitappreciable movement during closure of the jaws on a wire. Once thefingers close the handles to cause the jaws to cut a wire's insulation,the resulting slug is usually removed by sideways pivoting motion of thewrist. This flick of the wrist is in the nature of a yawing motion ofthe wrist, rather than a rolling motion about the forearm or a fullsideways translation of the forearm. To effect the yaw of the wrist andovercome the resistance of the slug on the conductor, the thumb ispressed against the pivot pin to push the tool in the desired direction.One of the problems with prior art wire strippers is the pivot pin isnot designed to support the thumb and thus creates discomfort in theshort run and a real pain in the thumb over long term use. The ends ofthe pivot pin often present a shape, such as a screw head or a nut, thatis not conducive to user comfort. Furthermore, the pin is prone topinching the thumb during movement of the handles. Repetitive use of thetool, of course, exacerbates these problems. The present inventionrecognizes the reality of how handheld wire strippers are used andaccommodates the thumb by placing a thumb well over the pivot pin.

Other deficiencies in prior art tools that at first glance seem butminor nuisances can develop into major aggravations over long term use.For example, some electricians prefer a wire stripper that isspring-loaded to open the jaws. During periods of non-use the wirestripper is closed to minimize its size. A locking mechanism is set toretain the tool in the closed position against the bias of the spring.Often the closed tool is slipped into a pocket or a tool belt so theuser's hands are free for other tasks. This is usually done with thejaws leading or pointing into the pocket since the user typically isgrasping the handles. Unfortunately, the action of sliding the tool intothe pocket or tool belt loop often releases the locking mechanism,allowing the spring to open the jaws. This interferes with subsequentremoval by spreading the handles apart, making them more difficult tograsp. Also, the open jaws may not allow them to clear a belt loop orotherwise be extracted from a pocket. The present invention resolvesthis by orienting the lock so that a jaws-first insertion of the toolinto a pocket tends to set the lock, not open it.

Another bothersome aspect of prior art tools is the screw cuttingapparatus. Sometimes tools of this type have holes in the handles orjaws near the pivot pin for cutting 6-32 and 8-32 size screws to adesired length. Holes in opposite handles or jaws can be aligned withone another when the handles are open so that a screw can be insertedthrough the aligned holes. Subsequent closing of the handles causesseparation of the two holes, thereby shearing off a screw insertedtherein. While this arrangement of dual holes does permit cutting screwsto a desired length, it requires excessive force to do so.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hand tools used by electricians andparticularly to an improved wire stripper. The wire stripper of thepresent invention has several features that enhance its ease of use andthe comfort of the user.

The wire stripper includes two elongated frames made of steel. Theframes lie in adjacent planes and are pivotably connected to one anotherby a pivot pin. The pivot pin has first and second end portions. The pindefines handles and jaws in the elongated frames. The handles and jawsdefine a longitudinal center line of the tool. The jaws are movablebetween open and closed positions such that cutting blades and alignedpairs of semi-circular grooves in the blades can cut and stripelectrical wires.

Each handle is covered by a sleeve which includes a core portion and acushioned grip portion molded over the core. The core has a moldingprojection extending from one surface a distance about equal to thethickness of the cushioned grip. This allows the core to be preciselylocated in the mold during over-molding of the cushioned grip. Thesleeves receive the handles in a slot which is offset from thelongitudinal center line of the sleeve. This allows the exterior edgesof the sleeves to be aligned in the same planes even though theelongated frames are in separate planes. A pair of protrusions extendinto the slot and interfit with grooves in the elongated frames toretain the sleeve on the handle. Each sleeve also has a thumb well whichcovers one of the end portions of the pivot pin so both ends of the pinare covered.

A pair of springs bias the elongated frames to the open position. Thesprings are disposed in slots formed in the sleeves. A barb on thesprings engages the sleeve to retain the springs in the slot. A lockingmember mounted on one of the sleeves is releasably engageable with theother of the sleeves to selectably hold the elongated frames in theclosed position. The locking member is locked or set by linear movementalong the longitudinal axis toward the handle ends of the tool so that ajaws first insertion of the tool into a pocket or pouch tends to lockthe locking member.

In addition to the cutting blades and wire stripping grooves mentionedabove, the tool of the present invention also includes an improved screwcutting feature. Each jaw includes a screw hole adapted for receiving ascrew. A side edge of the opposite handle terminates at a shoulder. Theshoulders and screw holes are arranged such that when the elongatedframes are in an open position the elongated frames are not in alignmentwith the screw holes. As the elongated frames move to a closed positionthe shoulder moves across the entire screw hole to sever a screwprotruding from the hole. The shoulder has a curved surface to provide aslicing action that reduces the force required to cut the screw, ascompared to the dual hole arrangement of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the wire stripper of the presentinvention, shown in an open position.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through one of the elongatedframes.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the wire stripper

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the area encircled and labeled FIG.4 in FIG. 2, showing the screw cutting shoulder.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the area encircled and labeled FIG.5 in FIG. 2, showing the spring and its mounting slot in a sleeve.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a single lamina of the leaf spring.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a single lamina of the leaf spring.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the wire stripper in the grasp of a user.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view of the area encircled and labeled FIG.9 in FIG. 2, showing the groove in the elongated frame handle forinterlocking with the sleeve.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged detail view of the area encircled and labeledFIG. 10 in FIG. 2, showing the molding projection and depression in thesleeve core.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the inside edge of a sleeve core.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the outside edge of a sleeve core.

FIG. 13 is a section taken along line 13—13 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a section taken along line 14—14 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a front elevation view of a sleeve core.

FIG. 16 is a section taken along line 16—16 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a section taken along line 17—17 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a section taken along line 18—18 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 19 is a section taken along line 19—19 of FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The soft-grip wire stripper assembly of the present invention is showngenerally at 10 in FIGS. 1-3. The wire stripper includes first andsecond elongated frames 12 and 14. The elongated frames are pivotablyjoined together by a pivot pin. The pivot pin preferably includes aninternally threaded bushing 16 and a screw 18 that threads into thebushing. Each of the bushing and screw has a head (not shown). The headsengage a face of the frames 12 or 14 to hold them together in pivotablerelation. The pivot pin generally divides the elongated frames into ahandle portion and a jaw portion. The elongated frames are movablebetween an open position, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a closed positionin which the noses of the jaws engage one another and the cutting edgesoverlap somewhat.

The handles of the elongated frames are covered by first and secondsleeves 20 and 22. Each sleeve includes a core 24 and a cushioned grip26. The grip 26 is preferably over-molded on the core and is made ofsoft, thermoplastic elastomer such as Santoprene®, a trademark ofAdvanced Elastomer Systems, LP. The handles are biased apart by a pairof leaf springs 28. The leaf springs each have one end captured in aslot in one of the sleeve cores 24. The opposite ends of the springsconverge on one another as the handles are moved toward the closedposition. This normally urges the handles to the open position. AnH-shaped locking member 30 engages the first sleeve and selectablyengages the second sleeve to hold the handles and jaws in a closedposition. The locking member includes two uprights 32 each havinginwardly-directed tabs 34 at the top and bottom thereof. A centrallymounted crossbar 36 joins the uprights 32 between the top and bottomtabs 34.

Details of the elongated frame 14 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Only oneof the frames will be described since they are essentially identical toone another. The frame is a generally planar, steel stamping having apivot aperture 38. The aperture 38 divides the frame into a handleportion 40 and a jaw portion 42. The outer edge of the handle includes anotch at 44. A groove 46 is formed on the inner edge of the handle. Thenotch and groove interact with the sleeve in a manner that will bedescribed below. The outer edge of the handle near the pivot aperture 38has an indentation that defines a shoulder 48. The shoulder cooperateswith a screw hole 50 in the other frame to provide a screw cuffingfeature. The screw holes 50 are internally threaded to receive a screw.Preferably the screw holes in the two jaws are different sizes, e.g. a6-32 hole and a 8-32 hole, so that two different size screws can be cut.This is the only difference between the two frames 12 and 14. As seen inFIGS. 1 and 2, when the handles and jaws are in an open position theshoulder 48 is spaced from or remote from the screw hole 50 of themating frame. This permits a screw to be threaded through the hole 50,exposing the portion of the screw to be cut off. Closing the handlescauses the shoulder to slide across the face of the opposing jaw,thereby slicing off the protruding portion of the screw. Note in FIG. 4that the shoulder 48 has a curved shape which provides a slicing actionwhen cuffing a screw. The curved surface of the shoulder greatly reducesthe amount of force needed to cut a screw, compared to the dual holearrangement used in prior art tools.

The jaw 42 further includes a series of generally semi-circular grooves52 of varying diameters. The grooves are preferably ground in the edgeof the jaw. These grooves match with similar grooves on the other jaw toprovide an insulation cutting function. A cutting blade or edge 54 islocated on the edge of the jaw between the grooves 52 and the pivotaperture 38. The opposed cutting blades can be used to sever a wire. Theother end of the jaw has an offset nose portion 56. This portion islocated out of the plane of the rest of the frame so that it aligns withthe mating nose of the other frame. The opposed nose portions provide agripping function. The remaining feature of the jaw is a wire loopinghole 58.

Turning now to FIGS. 11-19, details of the sleeve core 24 will bedescribed. The core portions of the first and second sleeves aresubstantially identical. The only differences are in the constructionsof the locking member races, which will be described below. The sleeve24 is preferably an integrally-molded, polypropylene member comprisingthree major portions, an elongated handle section 60, a centraltransition section 62 and a thumb well 64. The handle section andtransition section have a generally box-like construction while thethumb well is a plate-like member. In the following description of thesesections the side of the sleeve having the thumb well thereon will bereferred to as the front of the sleeve while the opposite side will bereferred to as the rear side of the sleeve. Similarly, the edge of thesleeve farthest from the longitudinal centerline of the assembled wirestripper will be called the outer or outside edge. The edge closest tothe longitudinal centerline will be called the inner or inside edge. Itwill be understood that these designations are for reference purposesonly since the generally symmetrical shape of the tool renders thelabeling of any one side as the “front” side or any edge as the“outside” edge somewhat arbitrary.

Looking first at the handle section 60, it includes a front wall 66, arear wall 68, an outside edge wall 70 and an inside edge wall 72. Upperand lower ledges 74, 75 are formed in the interior of the handle, at thejunction of the rear wall 68 and the edge walls 70 and 72. The ledges74, 75 also extend through the transition section 62 as well. The wallsand ledges terminate distally at an end block 76. Together the walls andledges define a hollow main slot 78 that extends throughout the lengthof the handle to the end block 76. The slot receives the handle 40 of anelongated frame 12 or 14. There is also a secondary slot 80 between theledges 74 and 75. As best seen in FIGS. 11 and 19, the main slot 78 isoffset from the longitudinal center line of the handle. In other words,the main slot 78 is closer to the front wall 66 than it is to the rearwall 68. The purpose of offsetting the main slot is to compensate forthe fact that the handles 40 of the first and second frames 12 and 14lie in adjacent but separate planes A and B (FIG. 8). There is no jog oroffset in the frames (other than the limited offset at the nose 56) toalign the handles 40 in the same plane. However, the offset main slot 78aligns the sleeve surfaces. When both sleeves are mounted on theelongated frames the front wall 66 of the first sleeve 20 will becoplanar with the rear wall 68 of the second sleeve 22, as indicated byplane C in FIG. 8. Similarly, the front wall of the second sleeve 22will be coplanar with the rear wall of the first sleeve 20, as indicatedby plane D in FIG. 8. Since the cushioned grips on both sleeves haveequal thicknesses, it follows that the front and rear surfaces of thecushioned grips on opposite sleeves will be coplanar. This improves thelook and feel of the wire stripper.

The handle section 60 of the sleeve core 24 includes several featuresthat aid in the over-molding of the cushioned grip 26 onto the core. Twoof these features are best seen in FIGS. 11-15. A molding projection 82extends upwardly from the surface of the outside edge wall 70 a distanceequal to the thickness of the cushioned grip 26. The projection 82provides a small area where a pin built into the over-molding tool (notshown) can engage the free end of the core and fix it in a knownposition. Similarly, a molding depression 84 is formed in the insideedge wall 72 at the end block 76. Although the cushioned grip does notcover the inside edge wall (and thus the depression is neither fillednor surrounded by the cushioned grip), the depression 84 providesanother location where the over-molding tool can engage and fix thelocation of the core in the tool so the dimensions of the over-moldedcushioned grip can be precisely controlled. FIG. 10 illustrates how thecushioned grip 26 surrounds the molding projection 82 but does not coverit. A cross hole 86 through the end block 76 is used during molding ofthe core as a location for gripping the finished core to pull it off thepin that forms the main and secondary slots. The cross hole 86 as wellas the smaller transverse hole 87 (FIG. 15) are plugged prior toover-molding of the cushioned grip material.

Turning now to the sleeve transition section 62, this section includesfront and rear walls 88 and 90 joined by an outside edge wall 92 and aninside edge wall 94. These walls join the corresponding walls in thehandle portion 60 at a boundary wall 96. As seen in FIGS. 12-15, theboundary wall 96 is upraised from the front, rear and outside edge wallsof the handles 60. Thus, the boundary wall 96 provides a well-definedshutoff for over-molding the cushioned grip.

The lower or inside portions of the front and rear walls 88, 90 eachinclude a race which receives the locking member 30. As mentioned abovethe races on the first and second sleeves are different. The firstsleeve 20 carries a full race on the front and rear walls. The secondsleeve 22 has a half race on its front and rear walls. The full race isbest seen in FIGS. 15 and 17. The race is defined by a depression 98 inthe front and rear wall which is bounded along the lower edge by anupraised rim having first and second halves 100 and 102. The first rimhalf 100 protrudes upwardly from the surface of the depression somewhatmore than the second rim half 102. Between the rim and the front or rearwalls the depression defines a slot 104 which receives one of the tabs34 of the locking member 30. During assembly of the wire stripper thelocking member uprights 32 and crossbar 36 flex slightly to permit thetabs to slip over second rim half 102 and into the slots 104. Thelocking member is thereafter permanently retained in the full race. Thetabs are slidable in the slots 104 between a locking position and anopen position. The crossbar 36 is slidable adjacent the inside edge wall94 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). When the locking member 30 is aligned with thefirst rim half 100, i.e., closest to the handle section 60, the memberis in the locking position. When the locking member 30 is aligned withthe second rim half 102, i.e., closest to the thumb well 64, the memberis in the open position. The increased protrusion of the first rim halfcompared to the second rim half prevents the locking member 30 fromfalling to the locking position by gravity. In other words, there is aslight interference between the first rim half 100 and the uprights 32that is easily overcome by the user deliberately actuating the lockingmember but will not be overcome by gravity. The second rim half 102 doesnot have this interference with the uprights.

The half race on the second sleeve core is the same as the full raceexcept the second rim half is missing. This is best seen in FIG. 1.Preferably an insert in the tool that molds the core is used to preventformation of the second rim half. The missing second rim half providesan access opening at 106 for the tabs 34 to move transversely of thesleeve in and out of the slots 104 in the half race as the wire stripperis closed and opened. When the stripper is closed and it is desired toretain the frames 12, 14 in the closed position, the user slides thelocking member toward the locking position, i.e., toward the handle endof the tool. The tabs 34 of the locking member will then engage thefirst rim halves 100 on both sleeves. This prevents the elongated framesfrom opening. They can only open when the user slides the locking member30 toward the thumb wells 64 to align the tabs 34 in the second sleeve'shalf race with the access opening 106. This allows the tabs to escapethe half race and thereby permit the handles to separate. The tabs inthe first sleeve's full race will remain engaged with the second rimhalves 102 so the locking member cannot be separated from the firstsleeve.

Along these lines it should be noted that the locking member is moved toa locking position by moving it away from the jaws 42. This means thatwhen the wire stripper is inserted jaws first into a pocket or toolbelt, any snagging of the locking member will tend to force the lockingmember to the locking position and not to the open position. This willprevent inadvertent unlocking of the locking member.

Other features of the transition section 62 include a mounting slot 108for the leaf spring 28. In FIG. 13 it will be noted that the boundarywall 96 at the inside edge walls 72 and 94 permits the inside edge wall94 of the transition section to be somewhat downwardly spaced from theinside edge wall 72 of the sleeve handle portion 60. This spacing opensup the slot 108 between the interior face of the inside edge wall 94 andthe continuation of the lower ledge 75. It will be noted in FIG. 16 thatthe lower ledge 75 extends below the secondary slot 80 only and notunder the main slot 78. Accordingly, only about half the width of theleaf spring 28 fits in the slot 108 while the other half is supportedonly by the inside edge wall 94. However, this is sufficient to retainthe leaf spring in position because the leaf spring includes a barb 110(see FIGS. 6 and 7) that engages the lower ledge 75 (see FIG. 5) andprevents any dislocation of the spring.

The interior of the transition section 62 includes two features thatassist in retaining the sleeve on the elongated frame. The first ofthese is the interior corner 112 (FIGS. 13 and 14) defined by interiorof the boundary wall 96 along the outside edge wall 92. Corner 112engages the notch 44 on the outer edge of the handle 40 to locate thesleeve. Also, first and second protrusions 114 and 116 (FIGS. 14 and16-18) are formed on the inside surfaces of the front wall 88 and thelower ledge 75, respectively. These protrusions extend transversely ofthe sleeve such that they fit into the handle groove 46 from oppositeside of the groove. The protrusions 114, 116 interlock with the groove46 to hold the sleeve on the handle 45.

The thumb well 64 extends forwardly from the transition section 62. Morespecifically, the thumb well is an extension of the front wall 88. Thefront surface of the thumb well defines a shallow hollow 118 surroundedat the front by a flange 120. The flange assists in locating a user'sthumb on the face of the thumb well hollow 118 and helps prevent thethumb from sliding forwardly off the well and onto the jaws 42. The rearsurface of the thumb well has a socket 122 with a flat edge 124 (FIG.15) on one side for receiving the head of the pivot pin. The flat edge124 engages one side of a hex head on the pivot pin screw or bushing.This affords a further sleeve retention feature. As can be seen in FIG.1, the thumb well covers all of the pivot pin. The entire sleeve coversvirtually all of the handle portion 40 of the elongated frames, with theslight exception of the shoulder area 48. This permits the user to placethe handles of the wire stripper in the palm of his or her hand with thefingers wrapping around one handle and the thumb resting in the thumbwell, as shown in FIG. 8. The thumb well prevents user contact with thepivot pin, jaws or handles and provides a comfortable grip forperforming the wrist flicking motion described above.

The construction of the leaf springs 28 is best seen in FIGS. 5-7. Eachspring 28 comprises a pair of curved lamina 126 placed one atop theother. The lamina 126 are shown individually in FIGS. 6 and 7. Eachlamina includes the barb 110. Preferably the lamina are made of 0.015inch thick stainless steel, although other materials could be used.

While a preferred form of the invention has been shown and described, itwill be realized that alterations and modifications may be made theretowithout departing from the scope of the following claims. For example,while a pivot bushing and locking screw has been shown, otheralternatives are possible such as a rivet or a simple screw and nut,possibly in combination with a spacer. Also, the ergonomic handle shapeof U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,050 could be used instead of the arcuate shapeshown. In that case the sleeve would have to be made without the boxconstruction illustrated above. Instead the sleeve would be a flexible,flat piece with the cushioned grip over-molded so the sleeve will slideover the complex shape of the ergonomic handle. Furthermore, while thethumb well has been shown integrally formed with the transition sectionand handle of the sleeve, it is possible to form the thumb wellseparately from the sleeve and attach it directly to the frames or thepivot pin. Another possible alternate is to form the thumb well with aflat or perhaps slightly convex surface instead of the concave structureshown. While the concave shape is preferred because it has the benefitof comfortably receiving the thumb, the objective of covering the endsof the pivot pin can also be achieved with a well that is not concave.

We claim:
 1. A hand tool, comprising: first and second elongated frames;a pivot pin extending through the first and second elongated frames topivotably join them, the pivot pin having a first and second endportions; and first and second thumb wells connected to the hand tooland covering the first and second end portions of the pivot pin.
 2. Thehand tool of claim 1 wherein the first and second elongated framesdefine a handle, a jaw and a longitudinal axis, the frames being movablebetween open and closed positions, the tool further comprising: alocking member permanently engageable with one of the elongated framesand releasably engageable with the other of the elongated frames toselectably hold the elongated frames in the closed position, the lockingmember being engageable with said other of the elongated frames bymovement along the longitudinal axis toward the handles of saidelongated frames.
 3. The hand tool of claim 1 wherein the first andsecond elongated frames define a handle and a jaw, the frames beingmovable between open and closed positions, the tool further comprising asleeve mounted over at least one of the handles, the sleeve including aslot formed therein and a spring disposed in the slot and having a barbengaging the sleeve to retain the spring in the slot.
 4. The hand toolof claim 1 further comprising a hole in the first elongated frameadapted for receiving a fastener, said hole being the only support forthe fastener, the second elongated frame having an edge which terminatesat a shoulder, the first and second frames lying adjacent one another,the first and second elongated frames being movable between open andclosed positions, the shoulder and hole being arranged such that whenthe elongated frames are in an open position the second elongated frameis nonaligned with the hole and as the elongated frames move to a closedposition the shoulder moves across the entire hole to sever a fastenerprotruding from the hole.
 5. The hand tool of claim 4 wherein theportion of the shoulder that moves across the hole has a curvedconfiguration.
 6. The hand tool of claim 1 wherein the first and secondelongated frames each includes a handle and a jaw, the handle having afree end and being connected at its other end to the jaw, the frameseach defining a plane, and further comprising a sleeve mounted over atleast one of the handles, one of the sleeve and said one handleincluding a groove and the other including a protrusion, the groovebeing spaced from the free end of the handle, and the protrusionextending transversely to the plane of the frame, the groove andprotrusion interfitting with one another to retain the sleeve on saidone handle.
 7. The hand tool of claim 1 wherein the first and secondelongated frames each include a handle and a jaw and further comprisinga sleeve mounted over at least one of the handles, the sleeve includinga core and a cushioned grip portion molded over the core, the corehaving a molding projection extending from one surface thereof adistance about equal to the thickness of the cushioned grip such thatend of the molding projection is not covered by the cushioned grip. 8.The hand tool of claim 1 wherein the first and second elongated frameseach include a handle and a jaw and the first and second frames lieadjacent one another in separate planes, and further comprising firstand second sleeves mounted on the handles of the first and secondelongated frames, respectively, each sleeve having front and rear wallsjoined by inside and outside edge walls, said front and rear walls andinside and outside edge walls defining a hollow slot in the sleeve forreceiving a handle, the slot being offset from the center line betweenthe front and rear walls such that the front wall of the first sleeveand the rear wall of the second sleeve are generally coplanar in oneplane and the front wall of the second sleeve and the rear wall of thefirst sleeve are generally coplanar in a different plane.
 9. The handtool of claim 1 wherein the thumb well includes a shallow hollow and anupraised flange at least partially surrounding said hollow.
 10. A handtool, comprising: first and second elongated frames, each including ahandle and a jaw; a pivot pin extending through the first and secondelongated frames to pivotably join them, the first and second elongatedframes being movable between open and closed positions, the joined firstand second elongated frames defining a longitudinal axis of the handtool; a locking member permanently engageable with one of the elongatedframes and releasably engageable with the other of the elongated framesto selectably hold the elongated frames in the closed position, thelocking member being engageable with said other of the elongated framesby movement along the longitudinal axis toward the handles of saidelongated frames; a sleeve mounted over at least one of the handles, thesleeve including a slot formed therein; and a spring disposed in theslot and having a barb engaging the sleeve to retain the spring in theslot.
 11. A hand tool, comprising: first and second elongated frameseach including a handle and a jaw; a pivot pin extending through thefirst and second elongated frames to pivotably join them, the first andsecond elongated frames being movable between open and closed positions;a sleeve mounted over at least one of the handles, the sleeve includinga slot formed therein; and a spring disposed in the slot and having abarb engaging the sleeve to retain the spring in the slot.
 12. The handtool of claim 11 further comprising a hole in the first elongated frameadapted for receiving a fastener, said hole being the only support forthe fastener, the second elongated frame having an edge which terminatesat a shoulder, the first and second frames lying adjacent one another,the shoulder and hole being arranged such that when the elongated framesare in an open position the second elongated frame is nonaligned withthe hole and as the elongated frames move to a closed position theshoulder moves across the entire hole to sever a fastener protrudingfrom the hole.
 13. The hand tool of claim 12 wherein the portion of theshoulder that moves across the hole has a curved configuration.
 14. Thehand tool of claim 11 further comprising a sleeve mounted over at leastone of the handles, the handle having a free end and being connected atits other end to the jaw, the frames each defining a plane, one of thesleeve and said one handle including a groove and the other including aprotrusion, the groove being spaced from the free end of the handle, andthe protrusion extending transversely to the plane of the frame, thegroove and protrusion interfitting with one another to retain the sleeveon said one handle.
 15. The hand tool of claim 11 wherein the sleeveincludes a core and a cushioned grip portion molded over the core, thecore having a molding projection extending from one surface thereof adistance about equal to the thickness of the cushioned grip such thatend of the molding projection is not covered by the cushioned grip. 16.The hand tool of claim 11 wherein the first and second frames lieadjacent one another in separate planes, and further comprising firstand second sleeves mounted on the handles of the first and secondelongated frames, respectively, each sleeve having front and rear wallsjoined by inside and outside edge walls, said front and rear walls andinside and outside edge walls defining a hollow slot in the sleeve forreceiving a handle, the slot being offset from the center line betweenthe front and rear walls such that the front wall of the first sleeveand the rear wall of the second sleeve are generally coplanar in oneplane and the front wall of the second sleeve and the rear wall of thefirst sleeve are generally coplanar in a different plane.